Australia spinner Nathan Lyon’s long wait for his 400th Test wicket finally ended on Saturday (December 11), as he dismissed England’s Dawid Malan on day four of the first Ashes Test in Gabba, to become the third Australian (after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath) to achieve the feat.
The 34-year-old dismissed Malan for 82 in the fourth over of the fourth day of the first Test against England to write his name in the history books, as he became the third Australian and overall 16th bowler to reach 400 wickets in Test cricket.
Lyon and Warne are the only non-Asian spinners to take 400 Test wickets. He took four wickets in the second innings to help Australia beat England by 9 wickets in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 at The Gabba, Brisbane, on Saturday.
After the match, the spinner said that he was proud of reaching the milestone of 400 Test wickets and that it had not yet sunk in. He now has 403 Test wickets to his name.
Lyon said: “It hasn’t really hit me yet, to be honest. No doubt I’ll get my phone and call my family and friends, and that will probably hit a little bit closer to home, I guess. But it’s something that I’m very proud of, there’s no doubt about that. It’s been some hard toil to get it, but it’s very rewarding, that’s for sure.”
Meanwhile, Australia captain Pat Cummins lauded Lyon and said he is their most important bowler.
Cummins said, “He’s our most important bowler, not just for wicket-taking, but you saw how many overs he bowled yesterday. He went for two and a half an over for 20 overs on a hot day.”
Notably, the second Ashes Test, a day-night match, will be held in Adelaide from December 16-20.
(With AFP Input)
